The described invention relates in general to pans and trays for use in industrial and commercial baking applications, and more specifically to an industrial baking tray for use in making baguettes, crusty rolls and the like, wherein the size and shape of the final baked products are predetermined by the size and shape of baking subunits having specific physical characteristics.
Certain types of baked products such as crusty rolls, baguettes, and the like are required, or at least expected, to have a proper crust formed thereon. Formation of this crust typically involves the use of baking trays that include perforated baking cavities. Manufacturing baking trays or pans that include perforated baking cavities introduces certain technical challenges with regard to formation and currently available designs include either open ends (i.e., flutes running unobstructed through the width or length) or closed ends that are formed by adding a flat bar at the end of the flutes. Significantly, the open-end design does not adequately control the overall length of the baked product and the closed-end design is known to be unsanitary and difficult to clean. Furthermore, neither known design meets NSF standards for bakery equipment sanitation. NSF International is a global independent public health and environmental organization that provides standards development, product certification, testing, auditing, education and risk management services for public health and the environment. NSF uses the terms “certified” or “listed” in connection with a product, good, component, system, material, compound or ingredient. A product that is certified or listed means that NSF: (i) reviewed the product, most often through a sampling of the product; (ii) determined at the time of the review that the product complied with the relevant NSF consensus standard and/or protocol; and (3) conducted or will conduct periodic audits to review whether the product continues to comply with the standard. After NSF certifies a product, the manufacturer of the product may use the NSF Mark on or in connection with the sale, use or distribution of that product. The NSF Mark conveys that an independent, third-party organization (NSF) has determined that the product complies with the relevant standard. Thus, there is an ongoing need for an industrial baking tray that effectively controls the overall length of a baked product and that meets NSF standards for bakery equipment sanitation.